ISTANBUL’S WINDOW ON THE WEST
”Starting from the mid-19th century, every street name in Beyoglu has a story to tell,” says Scognamillo. “But many of them have been changed today. Street names more or less tell their own stories. For example, the street we know as Kallavi Street today was actually called Ravani Street. The Büyük Londra Oteli stands at the corner with Tepebasi. Before it became a hotel it was the residence of the Ravani family, after whom the street was also named.”
The Venetians and Geneose had a big hand in the formation of Pera. First they settled in the Galata area. Then the embassies went up along today’s Istiklal Avenue between Galatasaray and the Tünel (a short underground funicular operating between the lower end of the avenue and the district of Karaköy on the Golden Horn). The Europeans regarded Beyoglu not as an entertainment district but a residential area, considering the quarter and and its environs a suitable place to settle.